653 Chenery Street
in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood
1-415-586-3733
[email protected]
Open to walk-in trade and browsing
Tuesday to Sunday
noon to six
Live Streams every weekend!
Refresh your browser to catch a show in progress!
Visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel!
But nothing beats being in the room with the music & the musicians!
Friday, June 24, 5:30 to 8:00 pm The Chuck Peterson Quintet with vocalist Dorothy Lefkovits jazz in the bookshop every Friday When Chuck carried his tenor saxophone down to the Bay Area from Portland’s Reed College in about 1950, he fell in with a lot of young cats who were mad to play bebop, congregating around San Francisco State College (that would have been at the old campus, on Buchanan at Market Street). Dean Reilly (pictured here) was one of those youths… Chuck has assembled a like-minded crew of jazz veterans, including Howie Dudune on reeds, Glen Deardorff on guitar, Dean on bass, and Tony Johnson on drums. And each month they invite the wonderful Dorothy Lefkovits to the bandstand to sing a few of the tunes that she does so well… The fourth Friday of every month is their date to swing like mad, and to swing so sweetly,…
Read MoreThursday, June 23, 7:00 pm Eminent Authors’ Birthdays Open Reading A monthly conclave of literature devotees Each month, we gather to read aloud from the works of authors we admire– or suspect we might admire. The organizing conceit is that the author should be born in the month at hand… June in this case… Check with us at the store if you’d like suggestions as to who’s a candidate for this month (we keep a list of birthdays)… This month, the celebrated writers might include talents as diverse as Nikki Giovanni and William Butler Yeats, plus Dorothy Sayers, Allen Ginsberg, Federico Garcia Lorca, Djuna Barnes, Aleksandr Pushkin (Blanche has him covered, we’d bet), etc., etc., etc. Do come!
Read MoreDouble header Sunday / Poets Monday Novelist at 2:30 Sun. Middle-Eastern Ensemble at 4:30 Sun. Poets at 7:00 Mon. Sunday, June 19th – 2:30 pm Frank Bergon reads from his novel, Jesse’s Ghost A novelist, critic, and essayist, Frank Bergon’s focus has been on the history and environment of the American West. His Nevada trilogy consists of three novels spanning a century from the Shoshone massacre of 1911 to the current battle over nuclear waste in the Nevada desert. His new California trilogy, set in the Central Valley in the latter half of the 20th century, begins with the novel he’ll read from today at Bird & Beckett, Jesse’s Ghost — a novel about a man haunted by his murder of his best friend decades before, and his realization that the ghosts of his past will always haunt him. Bergon’s characters are the sons and daughters of the people portrayed…
Read MoreJazz in the bookshop Logas / Pilorz / Prell / Aran Friday, June 17, 5:30 to 8:00 pm Bassist Don Prell put this one together, using his usual resourcefulness and enthusiasm for the task at hand… when Chuck Peterson, Scott Foster & Ron Marabuto all found they had conflicts for their usual 3rd Friday, Don didn’t have to think too hard how to assemble a band.  He’s been doing that every Tuesday at the Bayview Boat Club for many, many years. And this will be a top notch aggregation with a unique sound… no piano or guitar; hence, no “chordal” instrument laying the ground for the horns (sax and trombone) and the bass… it’s not unprecedented, but it’s unusual and promises a fresh, intricate sound… come hear for yourself… The musicians will have fun… and so will you…
Read MoreBeneath San Francisco’s streets lie the skeletons of ships… detritus of a mid-19th century “Armada of Golden Dreams” Hear from writer-contributors to the new Invisible City Audio Tour, with guest Jim Nelson previewing his upcoming “Everywhere Man” tour. Thursday, June 16, 7 pm Hundreds of vessels sailed for San Francisco in the mid-1800s, bringing countless dreamers in search of gold, and schemers looking to profit from them. Dozens of these vessels were ultimately scuttled and abandoned, or ingeniously incorporated in the construction boom of a new metropolis, and were ultimately buried under as San Francisco’s land mass was extended to accommodate the burgeoning city. Read a bit of that history at this link. Now, an enterprising and creative crew of writers, artists, cartographers, musicians and sound designers have devised a fascinating key to this era, in the form of…
Read MoreRuth Keady sings and her trio swings which way west? Sunday concert series Sunday, June 12, 4:30 & 5:30 pm (two sets) She’s a mighty vocalist in a diminutive frame, Ruth is… and for this date she’s assembled a trio of crack instrumentalists, to provide the field and the direction for her excursion through some of the classic songs lodged in the hearts and souls of generations of jazz lovers. Mad (Madaline) Duran is a superb tenor sax player particularly well known for her long musical partnership with her mate, guitarist Eddie Duran. With or without Eddie, she can wail for hours without repeating a thought. She’s well balanced on this date by pianist Si Perkoff, who learned his chops as player and composer in New York in the ’50s and has been on the San Francisco scene since the early ’60s, starting with a two-year stint as house pianist…
Read MoreBassists in town! The Jimmy Ryan Quintet with guest bassist Charles Thomas jazz in the bookshop every Friday Friday, June 9, 5:30 to 8:00 pm With Jimmy’s regular bassist, Bishu Chatterjee, off to Kolkata this month, we’re pleased to welcome Charles Thomas to the stage — and also a brief cameo appearance during the second set by naturalist / bassist Thor Hanson, whose book Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle has just been published by Basic Books. To top it all off, Putter Smith is up from L.A. for the huge harmonic bass convergence (read below), and will likely stop in. You might remember him as an assassin in the Bond film “Diamonds are Forever”, but jazz aficionados know him for his work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Thelonius Monk. By the way, if you see hundreds of folks lugging those giant fiddles around town in the next…
Read MoreQR Hand, Jr. — Kim Shuck — Bill Vartnaw POETS! reading series with open mic Jerry Ferraz, m.c. 1st and 3rd Monday of every month Monday, June 6, 7 pm Q. R. Hand, Jr.’s poetry, according to his late, great compadre Reginald Lockett, “traverses the terrain of form, music, and language. This is an inspired, well crafted poetry that is political in intent and spirited in execution and defies any comparison to any literary precursors or contemporary schools of thought. Q.R. Hand is an entity unto himself; a true visionary walks among us.” We couldn’t have said it better, except simply to emphasize how completely hip Q really is… It’s always a pleasure to see him walk through the door of the shop, and to hear what he’s got to offer. Kim and Bill, as well, are terrifically thoughtful and well-spoken poets, each a long-time tiller and toiler in the…
Read MoreMisisipi Mike all by his lonesome which way west? Sunday concert series Sunday, June 5th, 4:30 & 5:30 pm (two sets) Mike Wolf moved out west from Pass Christian, Mississippi, a punk rock kid filled with frustration, lived the life, hit the bottom, and climbed back up again, with a lot of help from his friends… and he’s been writin’ terrific country tunes, and quite a bit more, all along the way. He’s the go-to guitarist for about a zillion bands, and the leader of many of ’em… but here’s a chance for him to sit on the stage by himself with his guitar and a microphone, and maybe a few friends in the audience down front singing back-up, dusting off a couple dozen tunes from his deep catalog… As Mike would have it, he’ll be “singing original songs of whimsy and weary, for waltzing and whistling, from his many…
Read MorePOETS! Stewart Florsheim and Tom Centolella read their work Sunday, June 5th, 2:30 pm Two practiced and well published writers at the top of their game. To get a fuller picture of these two poets, read the write-up on our “Events” page (click here or on the link on our navigation bar above). Stewart’s newest book is A Split Second of Light (Blue Light Press, 2011). And to experience their poetry in real time and real space, bring your ears and your intellects to Bird & Beckett, and enjoy a literary Sunday afternoon.
Read MoreThe Redwood String Quartet which way west? sunday concerts Sunday, May 29th – 4:30 pm Violinist Janice MacIntosh, a Glen Park resident, brings in three compatriots for a program of classical music. Janice has been a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, since 1983, playing 1st violin throughout her career there; and is Associate Concertmaster for the Ballet Orchestra. Our Sunday concert series presents a variety of music genres, from jazz to bluegrass to music of the world to western classical music; kids are always welcome and we encourage you to remember that your donations at the events form the base of what we’re able to promise the musicians for their efforts and for the musical gifts they bring us. Special thanks go to the Conner Family Trust, which specifically helps fund the Sunday afternoon “which way west?” series. which way west? is a project of the Bird &…
Read MoreTales of Ghostly Japan Walker Talks! Sunday, May 29th – 2:00 pm Each month, until he breaks for his summer ramble through the western states, Walker Brents III presents a spellbinding set of musings on topics mythological, literary and historical. This month, the supernatural folktales and legends of a country that has recently had its quotidian roots most tragically shaken by nuclear disaster.
Read MoreThe Mark Levine Trio which way west? sunday concerts Sunday, May 22nd – 4:30 pm Mark wrote the book on jazz piano… specifically, The Jazz Piano Book (Sher Music, 2005 — but originally published in 1989) has been instrumental in the education of many thousands of jazz pianists… and he himself studied in Boston and New York with legendary figures Hal Overton, Herb Pomeroy and Jaki Byard. Along the way, Mark has shared the bandstand and recording studio with, among others, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Wallace Roney, Tito Puente, Milt Jackson, James Moody, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Fortune, Eddie Harris, Stefon Harris, Eddie Henderson, Conrad Herwig, Clark Terry, Ingrid Jensen, Charlie Rouse, Bobby Watson, Chet Baker, Philip Harper, Mark Murphy, Art Pepper, Julian Priester, Bobby Shew, Steve Turre, Madeline Eastman, Enrique Pla and Poncho Sanchez… with particularly fruitful and intense extended stints with trumpeter Blue Mitchell and…
Read MoreSufi Poet Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore with musical guest From a Fountain Sunday, May 22nd – 2 pm Born in 1940 in Oakland, California, Daniel Moore’s first book of poems, Dawn Visions, was published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights Books, San Francisco, in 1964. In 1972 his second book, Burnt Heart, Ode to the War Dead, was also published by City Lights. When he became a Muslim in 1970, Moore took the name Abd al-Hayy, and began traveling extensively in Europe and North Africa. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote of this period, “Moore [became] a Sufi and, like Rimbaud, renounced written poetry.†After ten years of not writing, however, Moore “renounced†his renunciation, and he has since been very active indeed, publishing and offering public readings widely, ranging far afield from his home in Philadelphia, where he has resided since 1990. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to host him for…
Read MoreRichard Froude Jennifer Denrow Jesse Morse POETS! Monday, May 23rd, 7:00 pm Three poets, passing through — two out of Denver, one headed that way… Richard Froude — born in London, raised in Bristol — lives now in Denver. He is the author of The History of Zero, The Margaret Thatcher Trilogy, and FABRIC, brand new from Horse Less Press. Jennifer Denrow, as it happens, is editor for Horse Less Press and is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Denver. She is the author of A Knee for a Life, From California On, and most recently, California, published by Four Way Books. Jesse Morse lives and writes in Portland, OR, where he curates the Smorg Reading Series. Contemplating an imminent move, Denver is his destination. We suspect it’s no coincidence that the three poets are converging here at Bird & Beckett. Come glimpse the passing parade…
Read More
Sign Up for Our Weekly Emails!
SUPPORT BIRD & BECKETT - DONATE TODAY!
Your donation to the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project helps us pay for a multitude of operating expenses necessary to present, promote and preserve local music, poetry, and more.
Help us keep the arts alive and thriving!
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project was created in 2007 "to present, document and archive the creative work of significant living writers and musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, for a neighborhood audience and future generations." We've been doing that very thing for more than a decade and a half, continuing the work we began when the store was established in 1999.
Due to lapses in tax filings during and post-pandemic, the BBCLP's status as a registered nonprofit was suspended at the beginning of April 2024 while we reapply, which is expected to take about six months. Donations made after April 1st will not be tax-deductible until nonprofit status is restored.
However, we continue to present a full slate of programming live music and poetry, and producing literary chapbooks, and we seek and welcome your continued financial support in the interim. If a tax-deduction is not a major reason for your support to date, we hope you'll continue to ride with us while we navigate these next several months.
Click on "donate" in the navigation bar above, drop off a check at the bookshop, or drop one in the mail to:
Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
653 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
Call us at (415) 586-3733 to find out how else you might lend your support.
TAKE OUR SURVEY
To take our SURVEY, click here, and help the BBCLP get to know you better! As Duke Ellington always said, we love you madly...
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
Our events are put on under the umbrella of the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project (the "BBCLP"). That's how we fund our ambitious schedule of 300 or so concerts and literary events every year.
The BBCLP is a [Read More ]
The Independent Musicians Alliance
Gigging musicians! You have nothing to lose but your lack of a collective voice to achieve fair wages for your work!
The IMA can be a conduit for you, if you join in to make it work.
https://www.independentmusiciansalliance.org/
Read more here - Andy Gilbert's Feb 25 article about the IMA from KQED's site
